By SARIT LASCHINSKY

Special to The Press

North Whitehall supervisors had a busy agenda to address during their April 5 virtual board meeting.

To begin, the board heard several waiver requests related to improvements for United National Foods Inc. and the North Valley Trade Center.

Josh Hoffman, the project’s civil engineer, said the waivers dealt with considering the plan as preliminary/final, and a change in lettering size.

Regarding the trade center, Hoffman said the site has been under construction for the past year and would cover 1.3 million square feet of buildings, and United National Foods had signed a 15-year lease to be the primary tenant at the facility.

For improvements, he said while there would be no increase to the trade center’s impervious coverage, the developer was proposing an 8,100-square-foot truck fueling and maintenance facility, a recreation area and overflow parking for employees, several office additions and some circulation changes.

Hoffman also said the facility would see around 395 truck trips a day, half of the originally proposed and approved amount for the site.

Resident Tim Tomko voiced several concerns about lighting, which he acknowledged was being addressed by the developer, and noise pollution coming from the trade center.

“It’s a cacophony of truck beeping that starts at 7 a.m. and doesn’t end till late in the afternoon,” he said.

Tomko also said residents have concerns about their property values decreasing due to the construction and traffic, and he asked the board to keep these comments and concerns in mind when taking future action.

The board voted to approve both waivers and the facility’s preliminary/final plan.

Additionally, supervisors authorized the first reduction in United National Food’s improvement escrow, leaving a balance of $3,065,010 which represents the remaining improvements for both the North Valley Trade Center and the new improvements for United National Food.

In other matters, supervisors authorized distribution of funds to various recreational organizations.

These amounts were $3,000 to North Parkland Athletic Association, $5,000 to Ormrod Playground Association, $5,000 to Laurys Athletic Association, $4,500 to Schnecksville Playground Association, $3,000 to Orefield Athletic Association and $1,500 to Neffs Playground Association.

Furthermore, supervisors authorized the opening of bank accounts for the township’s deputy tax collector at Peoples Security Bank and Trust, and a motion to provide the tax collector compensation, set at the beginning of the year, to the deputy tax collector.

Township Manager Chris Garges said the township’s former tax collector resigned at the end of 2020, and the appointed interim collector had fallen ill and appointed a deputy to carry our their duties.

The deputy tax collector is Lynn-Anne Kocon, who also serves as the tax collector for South Whitehall Township.

Garges also said the township planning commission had submitted an action memo to the board which recommended supervisors authorize staff and the solicitor to prepare an ordinance revision related to permitted uses in the different zoning districts.

Specifically, Garges said the recommendation would remove Active Adult Residential Communities from the permitted use list for several districts.

Supervisors approved a motion to proceed with preparations of an ordinance.

In a personnel change, the board approved Sheila Horwith’s resignation from her position as an alternate on the zoning hearing board effective immediately, as well as the appointment of Joseph Rentko to the alternate position.

Additionally, Garges said at the previous meeting the board authorized him to seek a proposal from Gilmore and Associates to prepare an update to the township’s comprehensive plan and revisions to related zoning ordinances.

Garges said the company had provided a detailed summary of their comprehensive plan update, which was anticipated to be a 12-month process with a budgetary cost of $75,420.

He said Gilmore had provided two options for zoning ordinance updates - a full rewrite over a 12-month period at a cost of $44,894, or amending the ordinance over a six-month period for $28,654.

Garges recommended the board move forward with the comprehensive plan update and a full rewrite, which was accepted by the board.

He said there would be kickoff discussions at future planning commission meetings and the proposals included several methods for public participation in the process.

In his manager report, Garges said the township’s public works garage needed to replace a subsurface lift which recently failed.

He proposed purchasing a four-unit portable system for $45,000, which would also open additional garage space.

Garges said the township had allocated $60,000 for truck replacements, but suggested forgoing that purchase for the more critical lift replacement, which the board accepted.

He reported the turf at the Kolapechka Dog Park had failed to establish after planting, and would need turf management before reopening for the spring.

A landscaping company was recommending a four- to six-week shutdown to do the reseeding and management work for a cost of approximately $6,000, which the board approved.

The next supervisors’ meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. May 3.